As a writer, it goes without saying that I (usually) enjoy
writing. Turning a wisp of an idea into
a fully plotted, tangible novel is an incredible experience and I love so many
things about it—from discovering new characters and worlds to surprising
yourself with an unexpected plot twist, to watching a skeletal first draft
develop into a complex, nuanced novel—writing can be truly amazing. This is the
good.

But writing can also be an excruciatingly difficult
experience. There are days—weeks, even—where it’d be easier and more enjoyable
to sit through 48 hours of Teletubbies re-runs in the desert while attempting
to find a particular grain of sand (don’t ask why there’s a television in this
desert. There just is.) than to write a single paragraph. Or sentence. Or word.
This is the bad.

There are moments when you look at the WIPs you’ve been
slaving over for the last x years and
wonder if you’ve wasted your time, if you’ll ever get published, if it’s worth
spending another minute trying to do this writing thing. There are times when
you’ve rewritten a manuscript three times and you think you’re finally
finished, only to receive an edit letter or critique that requires you to
rewrite it again. Then there’s rejection. Form “thanks but no thanks” letters.
Manuscripts piling up in your drawers. Amazon e-books that don’t sell.

This is the tortuous.

No, writing isn’t all mounds of sugar, rainbows and bunnies,
but to me, the good far outweighs the bad. I’d happily slog through a couple
more decades of doubts, rejections and shelved manuscripts just to experience
the joy of discovering a new story and meeting new characters and knowing those
words marking the page are mine.

There’s something special about that. Something I won’t ever
give up.

What do you think? What are the good, bad and tortuous parts of
writing that you’ve experienced?

Yup. I think you have to expect bad things and hardship, and people do, we just slug through it, but when you find what gives you that one glorious moment, you can't give it up, because life would be nothing without it. Its very hard to get that feeling!

I have eliminated torturous writing from my life! I have two big secrets: 1) mindmapping, and 2) careful scheduling. I always mindmap before writing ANYTHING. (I offer a free booklet on mindmapping for subscribers to my newsletter: www.publicationcoach.com). I also work on assignments well in advance and try never to write before I've spent at least a day THINKING about what I'm going to write. Finally, I never edit while I'm writing. That's a separate job that I leave for later. As a result, I now find writing a pleasure instead of torture!

Couldn't have said it better myself Ava. :) I am currently in the tortuous stages but I look at it as a challenge (sort of). Usually I don't get dismayed like that WHEN I'm writing, but I get it all the time before I write while I think of the idea and outline. Great post as usual! :D

It's funny to read this post today, because I think about quitting probably once a day, twice on the bad days. I always start back up again, but yesterday I was threatening to set some sort of external goals for quitting. I'd never quit entirely, but I'd probably kick back and drag a book out over three years instead of my current hard-working pace.

Launching a new book, though ... that's addictive! If only there weren't so many words and edits in between book launches!

Another great topic, Ava. I experience all of these emotions, all the time -- sometimes simultaneously. It seems to me that experiencing these emotions is what makes writing a magical process. I wouldn't trade it for anything.